Memories
by Kitsanken
Summary: He decided that maybe it was time to create some new memories. KakaSaku


Title: **Memories**  
Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto  
Author: Kitsanken, formerly known as Chiruken and/or Sandlewood996 and/or Kittsune  
Language: English, Rating: Fiction Rated: K+  
Genre: Romance  
Published: 02-14-06, Updated: 02-14-06  
Chapters: 1, Words: 4,738

* * *

**And no, I didn't "Steal" this fic from "Sandlewood996"...I've merely begun transferring all of my other fics from my "Sandlewood996" account to this one in an attempt to keep everything together and no confuse myself any further. (I have a horrible memory and trying to remember passwords for multiple accounts is a real pain.**

* * *

**Naruto Fanfiction**

**ONE-SHOT**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo GAINAX Aniplex SME Visual Works Cartoon Network YTV (Canada) Viz Communications ShoPro Entertainment STUDIOPOLIS, Inc. Game One Kana Video Made In Europe Cartoon Network L.A. Xystus Artsound Mexico ABS-CBN Hero Mediaset Panini Video Italia Panini Video Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil) Dublarte Shonen Jump (Japan) Shonen Jump (USA) Shueisha Glènat España Carlsen Comics Banzai! Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) " Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Kitsanken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**Author's Forward: **This was written in answer to the weekly word challenge at the LiveJournal Community, kakasakudrabble. _

* * *

_**Memories**_

_By: Kitsanken_

First impressions are quite often enduring…but not always. His first thoughts upon meeting them had not been in their favour. Uzumaki Naruto had been brash, impulsive, and irreverent. Uchiha Sasuke was embittered, filled with hate, the darkness within waiting to consume him and all around him. And Haruno Sakura was flighty and immature.

Second impressions rarely, if ever, overrule the first thoughts. Naruto remained brash, impulsive, and irreverent. Sasuke never swayed from his embittered, hate-filled ambitions. And Sakura stayed flighty and immature. And yet, despite this, they did grow. Together, under his tutelage, they formed unbreakable bonds as Team Seven.

Later, as time passed, he came to realize that Naruto's brash, impulsive and irreverent personality wasn't the liability he, like so many others before him, thought it to be. His stubborn refusal to give up, to go all out and not just reach for his dreams but to embrace them with an all-or-nothing attitude marked him for eventual greatness. With patience and understanding, as well as his teammates by his side, Sasuke turned his hate and bitterness into strength of resolve tempered by the loyalty he felt towards his friends. And Sakura…simply put, Sakura grew up. She remained devoted Sasuke and loyal to Naruto, yet her childish ambitions faded as she matured.

Their team faced many trials together, growing closer and coming to depend upon one another for strength and comfort. If asked, he would be the first to state that there were no other three he'd rather face adversity with. And when needed, Team Seven would be called together and sent out on missions others would deem near to impossible. They succeeded where others failed for one simple reason…they knew each others strengths and used them, and knew each others weaknesses and guarded them. They worked well together. It was as simple as that.

And yet, he reflected, there was more to it as well. They weren't merely a group of individuals brought together to face adversity and complete the missions successfully. They were a family. For Naruto and Sasuke, who had no blood relations of their own left in the world, Team Seven was everything to them. For Sakura with her need to nurture and protect, the members of Team Seven were her chicks and she their mother hen. As for himself, he found in his former students companions who, with their diversity in personality and backgrounds, understood him like none of the others from Konoha could.

His had been a solitary life. He had no friends, only acquaintances. He had no dreams, they'd long since withered and died. He existed only to serve the Hokage and keep safe the dreams of all who lived in Konoha. His life, he'd long ago deemed, was not his alone. And for this reason, he'd kept to himself, remained aloof, and didn't allow himself to form attachments to others.

His former students had turned his life completely upside down, refusing to allow him to exist in solitude, intruding into his personal space with all the grace and tact of a herd of buffalo. And he was grateful to them for this. As they'd been learning from him the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen paths, he'd also learned from them. He'd learned his solitary existence wasn't truly living, that without his even being aware of it happening he'd begun to lose the single most important thing in life…his ability to feel.

He'd seen an echo of himself in Sasuke and had hopes that he could save the boy from sharing in his fate. Despite knowing what was likely to come and preparing for it, they'd almost lost Sasuke any way. It was Naruto and Sakura's devotion to him that eventually brought him back from the brink and saved him. In Naruto, he saw the greatness of the Fourth shining through on more than one occasion. As a child he'd had the ability to inspire those around him and though he admired this trait, he also worried for him and the knowledge that there would be those who would use and manipulate him, using Naruto's charisma to do great harm. He needn't have worried. Sasuke and Sakura were by his side, keeping him focused and supporting him when needed. Sakura had been unexceptional as a child, save for her intellect and Chakra control. She'd lacked the ambition to further herself and he'd worried over this, knowing that if she would merely apply herself, she could achieve greatness in her own way. She had a gift, always had, if only she would utilize it.

Watching them grow as individuals and as a team, he'd felt old. There were many times he'd find himself wondering if he'd ever actually been young in the first place. It was with a deep sense of sadness and regret that he came to realize that he'd never been as young as his three students. For this reason alone, he wished to guide them and protect them, preserve their excitement each day brought to them for as long as he possibly could. He never wished for them to feel the coldness he was all too accustomed to feeling.

With his former students…now his trusted colleagues…he'd begun to shake off the coldness that had enveloped him for so long. In the beginning, he'd felt the gulf between them unbridgeable…not just in terms of skill and experience, but the age gap as well. At the time, he hadn't been certain they'd ever grow out of their childish ways…and he'd wanted to preserve that innocence they carried for as long as he could. In retrospect, he understood that it was an undertaking doomed to failure from the start.

Surprisingly, it had been Sakura who'd kicked over the traces first, growing almost overnight from the unexceptional and flighty child into a talented and capable woman. However, it was the subtle changes that intrigued him the most. She still remained behind her teammates by way of skill, strength and endurance, and yet, somehow, she managed to surpass them time and again. He'd observed her silently, watching her every move, in an attempt to discover what it was that had changed so dramatically. To his chagrin, there were no immediate outward clues as to the sudden change he both saw and sensed in her. It had been minutely frustrating, but he'd determined not to think too much on it at the time.

Over time, however, there were things he couldn't help but sit up and take notice of. A good example was after their return from a particularly grueling mission, Team Seven had separated to return to their respective apartments to clean up before meeting for an evening of unwinding. As usual, he'd declined at first, but somehow been talked into it anyway. His teammates were determined, he'd give them that…determined and somewhat underhanded as well. They'd guilted him into agreeing. It wasn't until later that he'd realized that it had been Sakura who'd managed to neatly manipulate him into capitulating to their demands. Once he realized what she'd done, he couldn't help but wonder how she'd managed to do it in the first place.

Soon after that incident he'd noticed changes to the dynamics of the relationships between the members of Team Seven. Naruto still vocally pined away after Sakura, though he seemed to do it more for comical effect than any actual romantic intentions…a fact that Sasuke seemed almost eager to point out, much to Naruto's irritation. And he hadn't failed to miss one little detail…Naruto never disputed Sasuke's assumptions. As for Sakura, her fixation on her childhood love seemed unwavering, until another evening out after the successful completion of an extended, though not particularly taxing, mission. And yet another example of her skills at manipulating her former teacher.

He'd watched her flirt with Sasuke, something he'd gotten used to over the years and had grown accustomed to tuning out at will. However, somewhere between his sigh of resignation at seeing the normal display once again and the lifting on his glass, she'd turned towards Naruto and plied her flirtations on him instead. He'd nearly choked on his drink when he'd seen that. It had been so unexpected that it took several minutes to get over his shock. It hadn't been the only shock of the evening, either. Her childhood rival…and on again off again best friend, depending on each young woman's standing in their long term rivalry for the affections of Uchiha Sasuke…Yamanaka Ino joined them. He'd expected all hell to break loose when the blonde kunoichi took her seat beside Sasuke, leaning into him all the while fluttering her dark eyelashes. However, all Sakura did was smile a greeting and turn back to Naruto. It had been at that moment that he'd been seriously tempted to use the Sharingen to determine if it was indeed Sakura sitting across from him or a replacement. In the end, he'd opted not to go that far and merely sat back watching the proceedings with keen, if somewhat confused, interest.

After that incident, he deemed it prudent to pay closer attention to his teammates and the apparent changes occurring within Team Seven. At first, nothing seemed amiss. Naruto and Sasuke continued with their friendly rivalry that at times wasn't really all that friendly. Sakura continued to dote on Sasuke, though she seemed to be giving the same attention to Naruto that had been reserved fully for the dark-haired Uchiha in the past. And yet, there was something different in her attitude. He wasn't quite sure what it was, only that it was glaringly apparent every time Ino arrived on the scene. The same insults flew between them…Ino-pig, Forehead-girl…and yet, the undertone between their exchanges seemed…different. However, the most confusing part of the entire situation was that Sakura appeared to be pushing Sasuke towards Ino more and more, finding excuses that left the two alone, and wandered off to spend time with either Naruto or himself. It wasn't normal behaviour…at least, not normal for the Sakura that he'd come to know.

When Sasuke casually announced during one of their afternoon training sessions that he was now officially dating Yamanaka Ino, he thought for sure Sakura would throw a fit. However, contrary to his expectations, she merely smiled widely and hugged him, all the while telling him that it was about time. He'd stood off to the side scratching his head and feeling very much out of touch with the inner workings of the kunoichi's previously easily understood mind.

He was reluctant to let Sakura out of his sight until he figured out what was wrong with her. Unfortunately, duty called and the team had been split to complete two assignments. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were sent to complete a mission that involved seeing an important official safely home, while he'd been sent on a solo. If Sakura seemed more agitated than usual, he chose to not dwell on it at the moment and analyze it later, after the mission was complete.

There are many turns and curves on the road of life, and he discovered detours were unavoidable. As such, due to complications during his mission, it took much longer to return to Konoha than he'd anticipated. Upon his arrival, he wanted nothing more than to debrief and retreat to his apartment for a very long, cleansing shower followed by a week-long sleep. He felt the familiar weariness pressing down on him and he looked forward to the much needed rest he was about to get.

Approaching his apartment, he stifled a groan and sighed inwardly. He was about to be detoured once again. Sasuke was sitting on the steps idly spinning a kunai around his index finger and Naruto was standing behind him, leaning against the wall with arms folded across his chest. If he were to be honest, he wasn't at all surprised to see them. What did throw him off, though, was that Sakura was no where to be seen. He knew what his former students wanted, and as much as he longed for sleep he also knew he wouldn't refuse. He'd given up trying to decline their invitations and really didn't have the energy to try to fight it this time. He'd sighed again and asked where the kunoichi was. He couldn't fail to notice the odd look exchanged between Sasuke and Naruto followed by hedging answers that really didn't answer anything at all. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but chose to remain silent, waiting, until it became apparent that they wouldn't give him a straight answer at all.

He shook off the fatigue and refused to leave the question unanswered, choosing instead to wait them out. Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who finally cleared his throat, drawing his full attention. "She's with Rock Lee." He nodded slowly, though the answer really didn't clear any of the confusion from his mind.

"On a date." Naruto finally added after several tense moments of silence.

He nodded again and turned slowly towards the door. He reached out to grasp the knob and froze, the information he'd just received finally registering in his mind. Sakura…and Rock Lee…on a date? He blinked and shook his head to clear it, certain that he'd misheard. He was tired after all. He could be excused for the interruption of the flow of information from his ears to his brain. Slowly he turned his head to fix his former students with a steady, unblinking stare. "What?" Once the information was repeated by Naruto…with a deep scowl drawing his eyebrows down…he nodded again and slowly looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by lazily over head. "Hmm…" Was his only reply before he retreated to the interior of his apartment with his teammates following on his heels. Apparently they weren't taking any chances. They weren't about to leave him alone long enough to back out of their evening out, it seemed.

Over the years, Rock Lee had continued his single-minded pursuit of Sakura, declaring her the woman of his dreams and his love undying and enduring. In view of his determination, it wasn't surprising that he'd persisted despite constant rejection. However, for the life of him, he couldn't understand why now, after all this time, Sakura had given in to his unceasing demands for 'just one date', as he continuously put it.

He wasn't certain how he felt about this sudden turn-about. There had been many changes occurring amongst the members of Team Seven, apparently even more than he'd noticed. He felt a little sheepish when he realized that he'd obviously been missing something. He had a feeling the answers to all his unspoken and half-formed questions could be answered if he could just fit all the pieces together. But first, he couldn't quite shake the thought that he ought to be rescuing Sakura from her date with the infamous Bushy Eyebrow guy. It was an odd thought and one he didn't care to think too deeply on at the moment. However hard he tried to push the thought aside, he found it bouncing around in his mind as he stepped under the stream of hot water in the shower and following after as he dressed in his usual jounin uniform and out the door as Naruto slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and they led the way down the street.

He followed the other two jounin slowly as they made their way through the streets of Konoha, hands shoved into his pockets as he hunched his shoulders slightly in his habitual slouch. He had a strong suspicion as to what their ultimate destination was to be. Sighing, he shook his head and resigned himself to his fate. He could've said no. He knew Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't push, not like Sakura. His steps faltered until he came to a halt, standing at full attention as the thought filtered through his mind. Why would Sakura have been so adamant that he join them when even her teammates wouldn't pressure him to do so? His eyes narrowed as he stared at his companions retreating backs…they hadn't realized that he'd stopped yet. "Why indeed." He murmured softly to himself as he slowly lifted his gaze to stare at the sky sightlessly, thoughts intent on the kunoichi he'd watched grow from an unremarkable, yet pretty child into an exceptional and beautiful young woman. "Hmm…" He lifted one hand and rubbed his chin through his mask thoughtfully before returning his gaze to the two men who'd stopped half a block away, having finally noticed his absence.

"Oi! Kakashi! What the hell're you doin'! We got drinks to drink!" He sighed once again at Naruto's shout, pushing the puzzling thoughts about Sakura to the back of his mind, determining to examine them later, when he was alone with no interruptions to distract him.

After he reached them he shrugged and smiled slightly. "I was merely enjoying the shapes of the clouds."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as if in deep thought before finally slamming his fist into his palm. "Ah ha!" He noted that Sasuke looked almost alarmed by the sudden outburst before visibly forcing himself back to his usual stoic and somewhat bored expression. Naruto turned to face him and pointed at him with a triumphant grin in place. "I get it now!"

Raising one eyebrow, he regarded the younger man with mild curiosity. "Mmm?"

Naruto nodded several times emphatically. "Yeah, I've figured it out." He paused with a wide grin and folded his arms across his chest with a decidedly smug look on his youthful features.

He waited several long moments for his former pupil to elaborate before Sasuke finally lost patience. "Just spit it out, dobe."

A heated glare was directed towards the other young man. "Shut up, Sasuke-teme!" He returned his attention to the older man. "I finally figured out why you're always late."

"Oh?" He shoved his hands further into his pockets and resisted the urge to just walk away from the cackling blond in front of him, ignoring his sudden decent into madness. He hoped it was temporary.

Sasuke finally lost patience with the insane laughter his companion was still emitting and with an almost casual grace slammed his elbow into the back of Naruto's head. "Enough. I have better things to do other than listen to you make an idiot out of yourself."

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto glared, blue eyes promising retribution in the very near future before returning his attention to the older jounin and pointing at him again. "You're always late 'cause you're cloud watching!"

He placed his hand behind his head and laughed lightly before sobering and shaking his head. "Eh…no." He shoved his hand in his pocket again and started walking. He wondered where Rock Lee had taken Sakura for their date. He hoped it was somewhere nice. His eyes narrowed. Then again, if he took her somewhere unfavourable she wouldn't agree to a second date, would she? He frowned and shook his head slightly in an attempt to banish the strange fixation he seemed to suddenly have on his former student.

By the time they reached the pub they usually frequented he was more than ready for the prospect of a drink to quell the swirling and conflicting thoughts bombarding him. It seemed that one thought led to another and that in turn led to another in a never ending series of questions followed by dubious answers. Until that moment, he hadn't allowed himself to dwell on thoughts of Sakura or why he seemed to have more than a passing awareness of her.

Without a word he headed passed the bar, lifting one hand in greeting and signaling the bartender for his usual beverage of choice, and moved to the back where their usual table was located. As luck would have it, the table was unoccupied and he slid onto the chair at the back of the table, back to the wall and partially concealed in shadows. Sasuke took the chair to his left and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

Leaning back, he allowed his gaze to move around the dim, smoke-filled interior of the pub, pausing when he caught sight of Naruto standing at another table adjacent to their own. He frowned, noting that the younger man's profile revealed an uncommonly serious look gracing his youthful features. "Hmm…" He looked away from Naruto and accepted the drink the waitress set before him, handing her the payment and indicating that she keep the change. When he looked over again, Naruto was already coming towards them, expression oddly grim. Looking back at the table his teammate had been standing at he frowned as his gaze fell on Yamanaki Ino and another young woman he felt was familiar but couldn't place a name to at the moment.

He returned his gaze to Naruto as he dropped into the chair across from him. He turned his blue eyes on Sasuke and shook his head before slumping forward, resting his elbows on the table. Shifting his attention to his other companion he felt his eyebrow rise in question at the scowl darkening the Uchiha heir's features. It didn't take much reasoning to conclude that his former students were up to something. Hidden behind his mask he grimaced. Odds were that whatever it was they were up to, it didn't bode well for him. Past experience told him this.

Tilting his chair back a little, he lifted the glass and pulled his mask down within the safety of the shadows. Draining the drink, he grinned and pulled the mask back into place before setting the empty glass on the table again. Though he really had no reason to keep his features hidden from his teammates, he continued the game. It was more for his amusement than an actual desire to keep his face hidden. It never failed to entertain him the lengths his former students would go to in their attempts to best him and steal the ever-present mask. He grinned behind the dark fabric. They day they could best him and succeed was the day he'd retire. After all, it would be a clear indication that his skills had finally waned and he had no place out in the field. A ninja who didn't know his own limitations was a liability to himself, his team and his village.

He returned his attention to his companions, tilting his head to the side in suspicious consideration as he noted the odd looks they were exchanging. He looked to Naruto, noting with no small amusement that he looked clearly agitated. Shifting his attention to Sasuke, his eyebrow rose again the frustration evident in his features. He spent the next several minutes watching the very strange exchange between them ranging from exaggerated widening of eyes to comical eyebrow movements. He coughed discretely into his hand to hide his laughter, wondering, not for the first time, at the nature of their relationship. Rivalry aside, they got along amazingly well considering the diversity of their pasts. "Hmm…" He winced in sympathy when the table jumped from the movement of a particularly vicious kick delivered to Naruto's shin courtesy of his dark-haired teammate.

Following Sasuke's meaningful…at least he assumed that's what it was…look towards the door, he smiled when he saw the familiar pink hair that could belong to no one else but the kunoichi who had been occupying his thoughts for the better part of the evening. The smile disappeared and morphed in to a scowl when he saw the unmistakable form clothed in green with the distinctive cropped black hair. It appeared Sakura and her date…the word left a bitter taste in his mouth that he didn't dare analyze at the moment…had arrived.

His eyes followed her as she moved through the crowd, laughing and talking with many of her acquaintances along the way. His dark gaze rested on her hair, admiring the way the soft pink strands framed her face and brushed against her shoulders, swaying with her movements. Shifting his attention to her face, his breath caught and held for a moment as he studied the familiar animated features, captivated by the sparkle in her wide green eyes, drifting over the delicate upturned nose before finally lingering on her smiling mouth. He tore his gaze away from her lips, shaking his head slightly to dislodge the lingering afterimage from his mind's eye. His gaze dropped to the slender column of her throat, paused on her exposed shoulders, and continued on until catching on her feminine curves. His exposed eye widened as the air left his lungs in a whoosh as he finally remembered to breathe. "Holy shit!" He muttered under his breath, hands clenching into fists. Somewhere, somehow, without him even realizing it…Sakura had grown up. He shook his head slightly. No, she hadn't merely grown up…she'd grown into a beautiful, desirable woman. "How the hell did I miss that?" The words, thankfully, were muttered too low for his companions to hear.

His attention was drawn to Naruto as he jumped up, waving his arms wildly. "Oi! Sakura-chan! Over here!" He jumped up and down a few more times, a wide grin spread across his face.

He resisted the urge to hit the exuberant jounin and rendering him unconscious…and ultimately silent. He returned his gaze to the stunning kunoichi who was now looking in their direction with a slight frown. Her gaze lingered on him, green eyes widening in unconcealed shock. The next instant she all but disappeared in the crowd, his trained eyes the thing allowing him to follow her movement. He was impressed by her speed. She'd obviously been training while he was away.

"Naruto." His attention was distracted from the rapidly approaching form of his former student by the almost urgent note in Sasuke's tone. He glanced at the younger jounin questioningly.

"I'm on it." Before he could divert his attention to Naruto he was gone.

Before he could shift his attention again he was slammed back into the wall, the back of his head thumping against the solid surface. "Ow." He winced slightly and focused on the young woman who was currently sitting on his lap and apparently attempting to assassinate him by smothering him with her pink hair as she buried her face against his shoulder.

"Kakashi-sempai!" Before he could gather his wits about him…too many surprises in too short of a time, he realized somewhat fuzzily…her arms came up, wrapping around his neck as she pressed her curves against him. He had only a moment to widen his eyes in shock as he sensed her intention before her lips found his and she kissed him soundly…well, as soundly as she could through his mask. The kiss was over almost before it began as she rested her forehead against his. "Welcome home, sempai." She murmured with an impish smile hovering over her lips.

Slowly his arms came up to return her embrace, the shock that had immobilized him momentarily finally wearing off. "Thank you." It was difficult reconciling the woman currently sitting on his lap with the image of the child he'd known. There was a lot to be said for memories, he decided. After all, they could sustain a man for many months during the trials of extended missions. However, after really seeing Sakura for the first time…not just the image the memory of the young girl she'd been superimposing over the woman she'd become…he decided that maybe it was time to create some new memories.

_**Owari**_

_**Author's Notes:**_ _Sadly, after transferring my fics to my other account, I will lose all reviews. T_T_

_Because of this, I wish to thank everyone who left a comment under my other account (Sandlewood996):_

**Espiritus **

**SilverSimoneLady **

**December Jewel **

**ShortySC22**

**esther **

**Haliled**

**SOMEONES-BABY-GURL**

**Pchans **

**Sagesse **

**Alatril Carnesr**

**angel-tears-16**

**Dolphingirl32173**

Thank you ever so much for reading and taking the time to leave a review.


End file.
